Shravan Kumar (or “a fine balance”)
I was in Pune recently, hanging out on a friend’s balcony when I spotted this motley family coming up the road with a bunch of random things in hands, on shoulders, in arms. Slowly they unpacked their stuff and the long stick thing turned into a tightrope. But though they called out and beat a drum, there were no takers for the show. I was too far up and definitely not a worthwhile audience, so they re-packed and started to move off – except this time I was finally able to see what the dad was carrying Shravan Kumar style in his baskets – his youngest two kids!
One of those
moments
This is the best example depicting the care for kids by parents who can afford the best comforts even though they don’t own a car of a bike… Very touching and Great capture
To expand on the title… It is a perfect example of balancing a career and the family
When realisation strikes it’s more like lightning. Good summers are to be wasted doing something unproductive. Unproductive like sitting under a shady tree by the roadside and watching the world go by. I was doing the same when i noticed a half dead earthworm being eaten by a swarm of ants. I wanted to do something about it so i picked up a small stone and started killing the ants. Who then happened to pass by? An ascetic with a sceptre in his right hand. And he saw what i was doing and asked me if i really understood the gravity of my actions. I said” what”. I was just killing a few ants. {Karma- The total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person’s existence. Understanding karma is very fundamental in understanding yourself. Lord Krishna in Mahabharata during the epic war told Arjuna that there was nothing wrong in killing Karna while he was trying to get his chariot’s wheel unstuck. And after the war was over Krishna went into a forest and was sitting under a tree when a hunters arrow aimed at a deer mistakenly struck Krishna in the foot and he bled to death.} I was told by the ascetic that the earthworm was a helpless Karna and the hunger of the ants was Arjuna. What did that make of the ants? The ants were Krishna and i with my empathetic motive of saving the half dead earthworm was actually mistakenly killing the lord himself. I was the killer of Krishna. Funnily enough my name is Gopal…another name of Krishna. So did Krishna sit under the tree knowingly or unknowingly ?
* There was a time when i used to tell myself a million times again and again that i had to kill myself. By killing ants i did achieve the same.
* Well, i’ve learnt this lesson well in life that anything you do against your conscience is as good as killing yourself.
If i have a will, i will write in it, that if i were to die … and if my death were to be adjudged by the police as a suicide… then please make sure there is a complete investigation into a homicide cause though this jerk talks about death and killing himself, he is the last person on earth to ever willingly or unwillingly kill himself. And at the same time mention that it will be none among family whom the police should proceed against
If this blog comment is my will so be it and i hail the blog comment underworld
For a moment, I was like , which Shravan Kumar. And a look at the pic answered my question.
Suddenly thrown into primary school Hindi text book.
-Nikhil
Quite the opposite of Shravan Kumar though… kids in the basket instead of the parents.
Very nice shot and a lovely title:-)